Norsepower to install Rotor Sail Solution on LNG-fuelled cruise ferry

Norsepower Oy Ltd has announced that it has reached an agreement with Viking Line to install its Rotor Sail Solution on board the M/S Viking Grace – an LNG-fuelled cruise ferry.

The vessel currently operates in the archipelago between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden). The installation – which will see the vessel retrofitted with one medium sized Norsepower Rotor Sail unit that is 24 m high and 4 m in diameter – will take place in 2Q18. This will make the M/S Viking Grace the first-ever global LNG/wind electric propulsion hybrid ship.

The solution is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, which is a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a vessel. The solution is fully automated and senses whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel savings. At this point, the rotors start automatically, optimising crew time and resource.

Ulf Hagström, Senior Vice President, Marine Operations & Newbuildings, Viking Line, said: “As an organisation that strives to ensure that our fleet operates in an environmentally friendly and economical way, we are proud to be partnering with Norsepower. Our cruise vessel is the first to use a combination of alternative clean fuels, modern Rotor Sails, electric propulsion, and a hydrodynamically optimised hull. We believe in the Rotor Sail Solution technology’s ability to enhance our ship’s performance by enabling significant reductions in fuel burn and costs, as well as carbon emissions.”

Tuomas Riski, the CEO of Norsepower, added: “This project marks the first of its kind modern auxiliary wind propulsion technology installation on board a cruise ferry. As a Finnish based clean technology and engineering company, we are proud to be partnering with yet another prominent shipping company as we work towards a modern era of auxiliary wind propulsion for the global maritime fleet, while supporting shipping’s transition to the low carbon economy.”